Machine: Lenova T510 that had Ubuntu 18.04 on a different HHD, Ubuntu worked w/o problems until HHD failed.
HHD: SP SSD SATA III
I made a bootable USB drive using the same USB that I loaded 18.04 with. At first I used the Startup Disk Creator on the failing HHD (18.04) using the Tutorial here, but that didn't work, so I remade it using Rufus on my Win10 laptop following the tutorial here. I have the new SP SATA III HHD in the Lenova now. The laptop will boot from the USB, but I do not see the Welcome and Install screen that's in the Tutorial, I see a purple screen with, at the bottom, a rectangular box that looks like a USB drive, an "Equal" sign to the right and then a circle with a stick figure in it:
If I hit any key it goes to screen with a list of Try Ubuntu (normal and safe graphics), Install Ubuntu (normal and safe graphics), Test Memory, and Boot from first hard drive
The mouse/track is not working at this point, but I can go up/down through the list. I've tried each, but it just reboots. If I do nothing it sits on that purple scree for 15 seconds then reboots.
UPDATE: I formatted the USB drive and rebuilt the bootable USB, downloaded the ISO again. Same results. But, I did try the "F" keys at the bottom of the screen
F4 Gives me this:
F5 Gives me this
F6 Gives me this
I did notice that after hitting F6 there is a line just above the F keys that says Boot Options and then "file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed only-ubiquity initrd=casper/initrd quiet splash ---". I do not have anything in the cdrom drive. Why would the creation of the USB use the cdrom to install the OS?
UPDATE: I made a DVD install disk, booted with it, but get the same screens and same outcome. The laptop does not have UEFI for a boot option.